WWE SummerSlam 2012: Triple H and Brock Lesnar Match Transcends WWE

Triple H and Brock Lesnar face off at the 25th SummerSlam on August 19th, and you would be a fool to miss it.

There are certain events, like the World Series or the Super Bowl, that all sports fans should pay attention to regardless of rooting affiliation. There are some people that are simply too important to the sport to ignore when they get on television. Whether you’re a fan of the WWE or not, sports fans driven by entertainment and culture should tune in to watch these two extraordinarily important men square off.

The first man entering the ring will be Triple H.

Triple H, 43, is in the middle of his 20th year of professional wrestling. He first began with the WCW (World Championship Wrestling) in 1994 and eventually joined the WWF in 1995. The character that he played was “The Connecticut Blueblood," a wrestler who taught fans “proper etiquette” in television vignettes before he entered the ring for a fight.

Triple H eventually became an integral part of D-Generation X toward the end of the 1990s and was a central character to the narrative of the WWE during its reign of popularity in the early part of the 21st century.

WWE Raw is over 1,000 episodes old at this point in Triple H's and Vince McMahon’s careers, but the show is still one of the highest-rated programs on television. WWE Raw had three appearances in the top 10 cable shows for the week of 8/6 through 8/12, and with momentum swinging toward WWESummerSlam, the marque matchup of Triple H and a completely different star is sure to bring fans in for the long haul for the upcoming PPV event.

The man who will enter the ring to fight Triple H is Brock Lesnar.

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Lesnar is a perfect representation of the “new generation” of WWE superstars in the new decade. While Lesnar was an active member of the WWE from 2002-2004, he quit to try his hand at the NFL and then Japanese wrestling.

By 2007, Lesnar was involved with MMA and became a member of the UFC. By 2008, he was the UFC heavyweight champion. In April of 2012, when he was ranked No. 5 in the world for MMA, Lesnar had already retired from MMA and went back to the WWE.

The rivalry that Lesnar initially pursued was with John Cena. Lesnar lost to Cena at the Extreme Rules PPV earlier this year, but Lesnar has since found a rekindled rivalry with the appointed chief operating officer (COO) of the WWE, Triple H, that has since turned into a blood feud. Last month, on the 1,000th episode of Raw, Lesnar accepted the challenge from Triple H to enter the ring for a fight at SummerSlam.

This is one of the most compelling matchups for fans of the WWE in recent memory, but what separates this match for ex-fans or those without any rooting interest whatsoever is how important these two individuals are to their respective sport.

Triple H is a past champion, serves as executive senior advisor and vice president on the show, has served as a director and producer of the show and helps with storyline and creative supervision for the talent and training of the individuals involved with the WWE.

Lesnar has appeared as himself in video games for the past 10 years and he's been involved with the WWE, NFL, New Japan Pro Wrestling and the UFC. He is an MMA genius and has served as the face of numerous organizations affiliated with physical combat of this persuasion.

Triple H returns to challenge Brock Lesnar.

By putting these two men in the match, you are putting two of the most interesting men in the sport in the same ring. They’ve done more to improve the image of the franchise for the past decade than almost anyone else in the universe, and they’ve both proven their capabilities as fighters.

Triple H fights for legacy, revenge for an injury and the passion of his history with the organization. Lesnar fights for legitimacy, a proven track record and the passion of his successes as a wrestler.

The WWE is known to accept that the results are pre-planned. With Triple H as a creative director of the show, it’ll be a guaranteed interesting fight, as he has to make Lesnar earn the lucrative $5 million contract that he is currently reported to be earning.

Regardless of your rooting interest, this is sure to be a fight that you will not want to miss when the two square off for SummerSlam on August 19th. Forget your bias and forget your preconception. This is going to be one of the best fights in recent WWE memory.